


What's Another One Shot?

by Salvasti



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-05-01 18:33:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19183396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salvasti/pseuds/Salvasti
Summary: Just a bunch of one shots I'm posting over here.





	1. Trophy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "I can't believe you wore that." My first getting to be involved in such prompts. Because I sort of figured out Tumblr. And I follow the right people. Plus it's Reinako. How can you go wrong? You can't, of course! Mild language, implied stuff. Originally posted 5/11/15

Setting: Silver Millennium with some future dealings.  Character attitudes are PGSM-ish and a dash of the 90s Anime based, because PGSM is Reinako Angst on Steroids and I watched the hell out of the 90s Anime.

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything save the thoughts in my head.  Wait. I do own my car. Carry on.

~

“Gods dammit Venus, if you can’t keep your fucking hair in control!”  It was natural that the rest of the threat went unsaid, for there was no need to finish it.  She had enough of an imagination as it were that she really didn’t need another to give her ideas.  Some ideas of course were worth entertaining, but not right now. Not with this level of heightened senses.  It hung heavy enough in the as it were, an outburst that did nothing to relieve the sensation that permeated the air.  A tangible quality now given, as though it really required such a boon. The tension could have been of course from the things that surrounded them, drawing their attention as though it was the deciding factor of life or death.  It was not that drastic yet, not yet, but it was rapidly getting there.

It was a common agreement that team building exercises sucked.  Save, this wasn’t an exercise. This was far more; this was the real thing, this was the big deal.  Under numerous names it all truly meant the same thing: the time to put up or shut up, to show that all the training paid off, to show your mettle, put your balls to the walls, back up all the talk you did.  That sort of thing. It wasn’t even a team building excuse; the only reason the two of them were here was for simple coincidence.

She was tired of Mars.  The snippy attitude, the arrogance, and the snarky refusal to bend to anything that was to be a semblance of leadership.  Then again she had been challenged by Mars from the start, when they first four met and began their training. She was not a diplomat, nor an ambassador, but she had enough natural charisma that when coupled with the right leadership activities to take, transitioned her into an effective commander.  The best in people were brought out in her presence, enabling the other three’s dispositions to mesh and flow like a well-designed construct.

For the most part, anyway.  Ideals were still going to clash because each of them bore a legacy, had a duty to fulfill, and were headstrong in their own rights.  Their cultures shown in their mannerisms, defined them like one of Mercury’s books. Or maybe it was a computer program. Gods at this point she didn’t care; she was not inept with technology but she was far more a “hands on” sort of woman.

It wasn’t apathy, she actually did truly care, but right now staying alive sounded so very much better than the ramifications of how technology could help or hinder, or her leadership qualities, or the weariness beginning to seep in from the heavy ambush, or the feel of the woman at her back that had barked out the curse.  It was just seconds after the words died that an arrow of pure flame followed in the wake of the complaint. The arrow struck the lead youma directly between its small, beady eyes. It didn’t even have the decency to croak something out in retaliation, falling backwards instead dead.

The arrow struck, denying the creature from taking what would have been quite the damaging swipe at her.  It was a breather most appreciated, as she was too busy in her own fight to save her skin. A precarious enough test of strength war was levied between her and another youma, her hand tightly gripping a manifestation of the light in the form of a chain.  It wound around the creature’s arm and neck, threatening to pull her off her feet if her attention strayed for more than a few seconds from it. Just because one was busy was not enough to account for the others, but a few well-placed pinpoint thin rays of light from her fingertip took them out of commission.

As the ranks thinned so did her patience.  Whipping her hand about with the chain her body moved, drawing on the natural energy presented anytime someone moved.  That it sent her hair to fly once more into Mars’ face was not her care or intention; the fight was. As she spun around another chain of light shot from her grasp, wrapping around the youma’s torso.  With a heave and strength brought on by sheer movement, she snapped the chains, sending the youma; already towering above the two of them as it were, off its feet and into the others that lingered for a moment behind it to find the perfect opening.

“Now Mars!”  Her voice rang out with the command, ducking down as a gout of flame nearly singed the top of her head and the hair that the other had bitched about being in her way.  Without repercussion, the flames engulfed the small pack of youma that remained until all that was left of them was hints of ash. The chains vanished well before she rose back up to her feet, already knowing that when she faced the other woman that her temper would not be so easily displaced and dispatched like the creatures were.

She was right without even having to think about it, for the other woman already pounced on the offensive.  “We could have had this done fucking hours ago if your damn hair wasn’t in my face!” It was rather ironic to be bitching about something as trivial as hair, more so when they both had long amounts of it.  For all of three seconds she listened to the tirade before she had enough, her hand reaching out to the other’s uniform.

With a yanking pull, the bow set in the small of her back ripped free of the uniform.  That it caused the other to start stuttering wasn’t her concern outwardly, tying the red ribbon through her blonde hair until it had been pulled back somewhat but still hung long.  No longer quite so wild, it became far more under control as to not get in the way as the other complained. Her hands fell back to her sides, eyebrow rising as she dared the stunned woman to even make a comment on it.  “Problem solved, Mars. For that matter, hours ago we were not even here.” Leaving her to the induced silence she strode ahead, leaving the other behind to look on in some wonder. 

It naturally meant that the other never saw the small smile that began to creep upon her lips.  Insufferable as Mars was, there was honest truth to the phrase “opposites attract.” She knew the moment they had returned, after she had given her report as Commander that Mars would be waiting for her outside.  Not because Mars was her Second in Command, not because Mars cared to play the political games, and not because Mars wanted to spend one moment longer in uniform with the heels she despised yet pulled off so deliciously well.

No, Mars would be waiting outside the room, a glowering sentinel to chase anyone off that would add to the length of time her Commander, rebel against her as she would, was out of her sight and presence.  She would be waiting because outside of an official standing, when they were no longer truly on duty, she was her lover. It was like some on/off switch that Mercury had on her equipment, or some door lock giving away to allow admittance within a private, invite only club.  When the role of Commander in any capacity was not needed, they were the other half of each other.

Love and passion.  You honestly couldn’t have one without the other.  You could try for a while sure, but it would never last.  She did not have long to dwell on her thoughts before the steady click of heels followed in her wake.  Mars was at her back, following after her. Her vocal protector, never mind they were all to protect the Princess.  She herself was to be protected in turn, a defined hierarchy that they all knew. Her sounding board, her Second, her confidant.  The steps remained at her back for all of half a dozen falls before her hand no longer was her own. That was rare. That was a change in their decorum.

It wasn’t worth thinking about why the other had done what she had done right now though, the moment was.  The moment was to be savored, appreciated for what it was and enjoyed, and she had every damn intention of doing so.  The steps fell now in time with hers, their strides an equal walk. She responded by giving her fingers a squeeze in return, glancing from the corner of her eyes to bear witness to the thin, not quite sardonic but so easily pushed there smirk that graced her lips.  There wasn’t any way to deny her own, even if it was far more fully given.

~

The briefing took longer than it felt like it should have.  When things felt that way, there was always a good chance that the mind simply refused to comprehend the situation and instead, make up a fanciful timetable.  Things should take this long only, never this length of time. This should happen, then this should follow in its wake. It was a strict schedule, planned to the very second.  That was the power of the mind when faced with a situation it could not avoid, a debriefing that was taking far too long for the mind’s desires.

For her body’s desires as well, buried just under the surface of propriety.  It made her want to grind her teeth, save that she already was. This should have been simple but it wasn’t.  If her own irritation was rising, then it went without saying that she knew the other half of her, on the other side of the door, had to be positively glowering.  The thought alone gave her pause, a means to find the ray of sunshine in the gloom that was her current situation. A glowering Mars meant far more fun among the sheets that night.

Assuming of course, that they even made it to the bed.  At the rate it was going, she would be lucky to be inside of one of their quarters before her back would be thoroughly introduced to the door.  Or perhaps the wall. Of things she could say concerning her lover, routines were her but not something that dictated her passion. It was always a surprise, the things she entreated her to.  It kept her on her toes, alert and yet at her mercy, her whim. Maybe that was the reason she did half the things she did. Like the ribbon in her hair. Her lips curled to a smirk, hardly appropriate for the other defense minister was warning that holding the ball would be unwise, especially with the latest reports that the Terrans were still in civil unrest despite their facade appearance.

Someone caught the look on her face, the smirk that was playing with thoughts of her lover, and decided to call her out on it.  “Commander Venus, is there something funny you would like to share?” Put on the spot she let the smirk instantly fall to the wayside, mentally chastising herself for allowing it to show in the first place.  With a shake of her head she let her silence answer the query that had all the eyes focusing on her. There would likely be chastisement for it later, despite her position. The immediate punishment was that the meeting lengthened onward, more concerns over the ball for the Princess, more concern over the Terrans, more concern for the increased frequency in attacks as of late, most notably the nature of her debriefing.

This was going to be a very, very long day.

~

“I can’t believe you’re still wearing that.”  Her lover’s voice came at her back, as was fitting given the placement.  They were both in the bath, a welcomed reprieve given the meeting had stretched on a good four or five hours.  Mars had taken to creating a worn pathway in the palace’s marble flooring with each click of her heels. Half expectantly she thought the other would be gone when she finally emerged, but no, there she was.  Her Second looked to her, gaze narrowing as though she could read the emotions that stifled the room and in turn, kept her from what was supposed to be their time. It wouldn’t surprise her if she could.

“Far be it for me to ignore the ... sound ... advice of my Second.”  She answered with a soft giggle, her hand collecting that of her lover’s that was not at all involved in any sort of washing routine.  Turning the other’s palm upward her gaze passed over the faint remains of what happened when fire met with flesh. They all had their scars that came with the mastery of their powers, sure they had gloves now but that was after the fact.  Just like the uniform was, whoever’s brilliant idea that turned out to be. Proof had to be demonstrated first that they could command their respective elements.

So very many scars.  Some were artful, some were earned in battle, some came from passion, others from hotheaded tempers.  She mused silently to herself, recalling the memories associated with each. It drew her attention away, either that or the bath did, or the feel of her lover at her back.  However it happened it took the other’s finger tracing down the scar along her jawline; she put that one there, that commanded her attention back. Her eyes rose, eyebrows following suit as she leaned back.  That it presented an upside down look didn’t matter to her, softly querying “what?”

“I said, it’s about time you listened to me.  Just like apparently, it’s about time we left the water before you fall asleep and I have to carry you to bed yet again.”  It was a retort, but not laden with the temper she had been given before in the day. There was a definitive almost role switch when they were not on duty.  Not that she was submissive; scoff at the notion, but she allowed the other her possessiveness to flourish when they were alone.

“And you love every moment of it.”  Was the best response, given with yet another soft, playful sound as her lover made good on her word despite what she had said.  Out of the tub they went, drying off before she was systematically carried to fulfill the ominous threat. There was nothing like clean sheets, made of only the finest material, against an equally clean and nude body.  Unless of course she was sharing it. Burrowed in them she instantly curled to the other, her own portable heating element; so worth a barely contained laugh, the activities of the day, the briefing, not to mention their room demanded compensation in the form of sleep.

“Mine.”

“Mmm?”  Barely awake at this point she murmured out something of a response.  It wasn’t fair; she was tired, nude and so very, very warm snuggled to her counterpart.  

“I can’t believe you’re wearing that still.”

“Mmm, took it fair and square… my trophy… ”  She breathed out with a yawn filled smile, drifting soon off to sleep.

~

“I can’t believe you wore that.”

She had, of course, been hoping for a slightly different reaction than the one given, but victories were meant to be taken however they could be found.  Especially one like this, given her lover’s mouth had actually managed to drop open more than a little, and dare she say that that was drool appearing? Likely not but it would be something to tease the other about later on.

Later on though meant after the ball.  For while they were expected to attend, the underlying tone of their presence was not representation of their own respective planets, nor was it meant they were there to flirt and be arm candy for high dignitaries and guests.  They were security, despite the gowns. They were protection, despite the elaborate outfits. They were soldiers, guardians, they were there to fight if it came down to it, defend the Princess with their lives if it was deemed necessary, and it did not matter that they were not dressed for it.

They simply were, and each of them knew it.  As her Second recovered from the outburst of surprise she met her gaze, acknowledging everything that hadn’t been said, everything that had been implied, words that were never spoken for emotions that were just as strong despite never given voice.  There was a grim line there, a silent knowledge that today was the day. Tonight was the night.

They would not live to see morning.  The thought was enough to dash anyone’s good mood.  Gods, it was enough to sap the will to live if you really thought about it for any length of time.  She knew her lover had visions, premonitions of the future. A mystic, a seer, she had countless names and titles and means to be called.  She knew every time when she rose in the morning and did not see her in bed that she was already gone, meditating somewhere quiet to try and understand just what each scene meant.

This was the day, the night.  The others were looking at her, knowing what their fate was to be.  They still looked to her for leadership, for guidance. For anything, even though each was competent and capable.  She would not and could not let them down, allowing a playful, if kept small, smile to follow in wake of the statement.  “Should’ve been there this morning to stop me then.” She retorted with a wink, knowing that the other was still referring to the red ribbon, suitably more cut to be useful, that had been woven into her hair.

She met each of the gazes, from Jupiter, to Mercury, to finally her lover in Mars.  She should give a rousing speech, or to tell them to defy fate, or that the visions were a lie.  It would imply though that Mars was lying about that, and that was something she never did. Nothing ever so serious as that.  Nothing ever so deadly, so life changing. Instead she gave a nod, “shall we?”

~

The world was red.

It’s funny sometimes, how colors can be so vivid and other times, they are so dull.  Dull wasn’t the right word. Washed out sounded better. Instead of fading off to shades of gray, scenery losing its clarity and focus, it was washed in red.  A haze, like goggles, gave it all a sharp definition, a new color scope. It could be as effective as blinders if you let it. What was already red became more so.  What was once full of life seemed to take on a false quality of it. If red was blood, and blood was life, then truly everything being red had to be good, right? What the color did not provide, the scents did.

The world smelled of blood.

Metallic essences mixed with the spark of fire and the ash of soot.  The scent hung coy, infiltrating on the breeze until that was all that you could smell.  Heavier than a perfume, lighter than an inhale from a blossom. She was not a stranger to blood.  How many times had they drawn it, had they drawn it on each other? Under the guise of training or tempers flaring, each had shed their own blood and the blood of each other.  That bonded them, didn’t it? It made them related somehow. Blood always smelled. Things burning always smelled. Blood, fire, and ash. Where there were those three elements, they always heralded the fourth and often final.

The world tasted of death.

They had killed, but were not killed in turn.  At least, not so instantaneous as it had been provided to their enemies.  They wished for death now, grievously injured, but they were not granted it.  They got to linger, some more than others, as the end came, knowing it would. Their carefully made gowns had long since given way to their uniforms, each bearing the signs of battle with burns, rips, tears, and staining.  Be it dirt, grass, scorches or blood, their pristine state was no more as much as the cold marble of the palace was. Individually they had fallen despite their teamwork, empowering the rest to continue on, to fight on. She didn’t know who had fallen first.

She had succeeded in some fashion, and failed in others.  That was probably bothered her, but not right now. The sword that was currently dragging along the marble; not so pristine and white now was it? held stains of blood.  She hadn’t cleaned it like it deserved to be. The longer the blood stayed on it, the easier it would be for it to taint the metal, to drive it to a level of corruption perhaps, just like the force that seduced the very woman she had left wounded, maybe dead, but not in time.  Not in time to prevent what had happened. Or maybe it was what happened after. Fuck, she didn’t know. Thinking seemed far too hard, she just wanted her. Her.

She cared about what was going on, but not right now.  The moment. Yes living for the moment was so bloody brilliant of her.  Agonizing slowness marked her progression, before her body deemed it would go no further and did not care about any threats, promises, or cajoling done to it to have it continue on.  The sword fell from her barely held grasp with a clatter, dislodging some of the blood but who cared about blood now. Was it her blood, or was it hers? Which her was she thinking of first?  She couldn’t think. She had nothing left to give, her body collapsing the rest of the way next to her lover’s. She had been magnificent to watch, the command over fire that she had. The way it would lance, straight as an arrow, then form a wave with but a flick of her hand.  There was something so elegant in the destruction of fire, something so elegant in the one that wielded it. That much she knew, could know without a doubt.

“...nus.”

It was a croak, strong despite its whispered issuance.  She begged her body enough and was rewarded when her hand found the other’s, squeezing it tightly.  It was cold, the hand she held. Mars was never cold. To describe coldness in her was a complete contradiction.  Yet she was, she could feel it. Or maybe it was her own. She couldn’t tell anymore, not with the tiredness seeping through.  Something was so very, very cold. She couldn’t blame the length of the sword in her hand for that, simply because she had dropped it.  Even when she held it it held some warmth, the kind brought on by blood when it dripped down the blade, down the guard, to the hilt, and falling from the pommel.

She missed the next part, and would have spent the last of her life regretting it, lost in remorse, had there not been a follow up to the words.  There were spaces abound, pauses, gasps of air and she was sure a faint rattle if she really listened. But she understood enough.

How would Mars know it was her, when they were reborn again?  How ever would she find her again?

She smiled, faintly, the world was losing its artistic red phase for something darker.  The colors were dulling. The scents were fading away no matter the breeze that mocked those below it, not alive but not yet dead.  The sounds were no longer a herald of battle. Or maybe it was her senses that were turning off. Thinking about it didn’t seem like a worthwhile venture in the least.  She answered back equally as brokenly, her hand giving her lover’s one last final squeeze. Just look for the ribbon. She’d always have that, no matter when they were reborn or where at.  She wouldn’t give that up, not for anything.

~

It was a forever later, millennia perhaps, maybe just centuries.  Regardless of how you measured it, it was ages that it seemed before a priestess, dressed in white and red, stood looking at a latest fashionably dressed teenage idol.  It was ages, it seemed, before their was a reunion of sorts, a reuniting of forces. A convergence of life lines that had been separate and now intersected one another, binding together by way of fate.

It was ages that passed, spent in darkness, left only with dreams that went unfulfilled in some regards and became pathways of guidance in others, before Hino Rei spoke to Aino Minako a simple phrase.

“I can’t believe you wore that.”

~Fin


	2. Echo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> October's extremely irregular submission of the Reinako same prompt fic party tag on Tumblr. This month's theme was Mythology and ... well I'll let the story do the rest. Originally posted 10/30/15

The sun was a brilliant source of light in the sky, dazzling and bathing all that it’s golden rays reached with warmth, security, and safety.  Pulled across the sky by his great chariot, Apollo himself ensured that the golden ball of light reached all. Today was absolutely no different than any other day, for once again Apollo had not been lax in his duties, and thus the world was alive with the sound of those who appreciated the light for what it was to them.

She was no different, after all.  Lingering at the edge of the small, serene lake, her toes dipped occasionally into the tranquil and clear waters.  Comfortably she rested, hands behind her to the rock she sat upon. Upward her features turned, enjoying the warmth of another day.  On occasion a breeze stirred by, sending her garments of crisp white to dance about her body. A teasing breeze that, it was forward in ways that only a lover could be, prompting a fitting giggle to follow in its wake.

The giggle was her sound, followed by another that heralded the sound of a feminine voice calling out to her.  “Minako!” Opening cerulean eyes anew, she looked behind her to see a madly waving Selene approaching, laughing and carrying flowers she had picked along the way.  Turning better, she drew her legs up and out of the water her toes had teased, rising from the rock to step from and back to the grass that spread out in luscious shades of emerald green.

A smile came to her face, soft pink lips upturning to match the happy girl’s own.  Of similar features they were, often mistaken for twins and certainly they could have been had indeed, their parentage been completely different from one another.  The girl’s name was actually Serenity, but she preferred Selene to not be so mistaken from her mother. Few things separated them honestly, whereas she and Selene could be twins, Selene and her mother Serenity were very much from the same length of cloth.

“Selene, you’re going to take all of the flowers if you keep making bouquets of them every time you come here.”  She attempted to chide the girl but it was useless. Selene did what she wanted; a wealthy princess as she were and she, well.  She certainly wasn’t in any regard. 

“Oh Minako isn’t that what they are there for?  To enjoy? You know, if you gave a bouquet to that pretty girl of Ares…”

“Selene!”  Promptly she exclaimed, a blush taking to her face.  She had confided in the girl already about her secret crush, a girl with hair the color of a raven’s wing that occasionally left offerings here.  It was a temple dedicated to Aphrodite, and everyone who was anyone knew that the Love Goddess had quite the fiery affair with the War God.

“I don’t see why you just don’t talk to her.  Every time she’s here you hide while someone else accepts whatever she is giving to Aphrodite.  You’re acting like she’s Ares incarnate, come to ravage everything and everyone. Unless…” Selene leaned closer to her, to the point their foreheads touched.  Looking into Selene’s eyes was like looking at the surface of the placid lake; a reflection. In a conspiratorial whisper she continued on, “you want her to ravish you.”

Truth be to it she did.  It was her dreams, her fantasies.  But she knew her place quite well, her features falling from the thin hope that existed.  The girl was a high ranking priestess of the God Ares, trusted to do offerings to her god’s lover and some say, receive replies.  Whereas she was just a wayfarer in a fashion, invited to stay as she was beautiful and truly, must be marked by the Goddess Aphrodite to have such looks.  She was a nobody; to reach for that priestess of Ares was reaching for the very stars in the night sky. She would have better luck of commanding the chariot that Apollo rode in to carry the Sun.  If she must dream, she would have far better luck to be an equally high ranking priestess of Aphrodite, to be on a better standing with her raven haired fantasy, which she was not.

“Oh Minako…” Selene continued with sympathetically, seeing her features fall.  Around her body the girl’s arms went, hugging her before tucking her hand into the crook of her arm that held the bouquet she would be giving when she met up with her lover in secret.  “I can talk to her, if you would like. I’m sure she wouldn’t…” 

Wouldn’t what?  Wouldn’t mind? She was a Priestess for Gods’ sake!  A Priestess, worthy of respect and rose petals to be thrown at her feet to walk upon.  There was nothing she could offer her of value, just a few coins left to her name. Her body yes but she didn’t feel that pretty, much less that worthy, of that one.  She just answered with a small smile, mostly sad before shaking her head. Talking to the Priestess of Ares wasn’t going to do any good.

Lead further along the greenery, Selene did her best to cheer her spirits only to be stymied at every turn.  Even the flowers blooming about them, the call of song birds and the scent of the bouquet that she carried wasn’t enough to raise her spirits.  Rounding the path and soft hedge wall they both drew to a stop, gasping near in time. Quickly she ducked behind what the hedge offered for hiding, Selene having no choice but to follow in her steps.

Just beyond them was the very same Priestess that sent her heart aflutter, the topic of their conversations.  She was approaching, dressed in finery of blackest night and crimson like freshly spilled blood. Just how anyone would dress if they were of the order belonging to Ares.  Her hair had been gathered back, drawn away from her features that she had memorized from afar. Like the palest marble that an artisan could ever dream to work from, her features had been flawlessly carved.  High cheekbones gave way to the most stunning eyes she ever could confess to seeing, even if it was from so far away.

She swallowed, feeling her heart beat painfully in her breast, her hands suddenly felt clammy as she placed small rents in the material of her otherwise crisp white gown.  This was too close, far too close to her … she had never been this close to the other before. The shadow she cast grew larger the closer she came; it was as if Apollo provided the means to herald her very arrival.

Selene chose that moment to realize what was going on, preparing to give her a scolding before a mischievous smile came to her face instead.  A hand collected her arm, pulling her out of hiding as Selene once more took to her path, ensuring that the Fates would force interaction between them and the approaching Priestess.  Attempting to balk, to reclaim possession of her arm Selene would have nothing to do with it, pulling her along to walk with her whether she liked it or not.

Feeling like saying something she bit it back as the Priestess approached.  Selene dipped to a curtsy; it was hard to process if the Priestess was higher ranking or if it was indeed Selene.  Who had the upper hand, a servant of Ares in his lover’s temple or a headstrong princess? She didn’t know, nor did she desire to think of it.  Downward her eyes went, a lower curtsy offered as she more than knew her place in comparison to the other blonde with her.

“Good day Priestess.”  Selene’s voice was respectful but cheerful, chipper the ways that only she could ever really accomplish.  For some it was overbearing; there were times that even she felt like Selene could go lax on it and it would be far more appreciated, but she never vocalized such thoughts.  Other times it more than welcomed. Right now however, all she wished was just to not be here, for perhaps Hades to arise from the underworld and carry her off. Anything that would spare her the moment of being so close and still stars apart.

Stopping before them, the Priestess of Ares flicked her gaze from Selene who had spoken, offering a nod of her head before her gaze rested on her.  At once she felt flush, almost on fire as though a great bonfire had been set to surround her. Her heartbeat sounded a tempo in her ears, pounding and without mercy.  She felt Selene squeeze her arm before slipping off, a resounding happy cry of “Endymion!” was all she left behind, running off to meet with her lover.

Left alone, she dared to slowly raise her cerulean eyes.  To ascend starbound was just as it was to plummet in descension; both paths lead to damnation regardless despite her willingness to risk it.  The Priestess was still there, looking at her, hands folded before her body, a body she had thought about and fantasized over ever since she had caught the first glimpse of her here some time ago.

“I thought I knew of all of the Goddess Aphrodite’s priestesses here; apparently I’ve missed one.”  Her voice was commanding yet soft. It was fiery and engulfing, just like it was caressing and inviting.  It was perfection; she had no other word for it.

“I… I’m not a Priestess.”  She answered, feeling almost meek, certainly unworthy to be in the presence of one who was.  Why had Selene done what she had done; she was content to just remain hiding behind the hedges and sparing herself this bittersweet meeting.  Instead she felt as though she would not make even a favourable impression. The breeze that had been about earlier chose that moment to return, sending blonde hair dancing in front of her face.

Before her hand could reach to tame it, the Priestess’ own hand was there.  Her fingers were soft, brushing across her cheek slowly on their journey to collect the strands to tuck behind her ear.  She felt her gaze widen, growing larger, the blood that had been pounding in her ears was now deafening in its fury. Moving was out of the question, doing anything save for standing there, staring, forgetting to breathe… was entirely out of the question.  Across her lips she felt something soft brush, her lips she realized, lingering and then it was gone. 

Gone, along with the Priestess, with only words in her wake.  “A pity you are not, for you outshine the rest.”

She honestly was not sure the length of the daze she had been in, other than she had been in one.  At the path beneath her, her sandaled toe worried an indentation, shuffling back and forth before taking a mind of their own.  Her thoughts were not her own, far be it from the truth. Her will was no longer her own just the same, lost to the beauty of the temple grounds she paid no mind, no heed, to anything until a voice drew her back.

Sharp, commanding, it was not the voice of her longed for Priestess returned once more, nor was it Selene’s own uniquely happy after a meeting with her lover Endymion.  It wasn’t one of Aphrodite’s priestesses either, nor could it be considered the Goddess’ own voice. This was a woman’s voice yes, but dripping in scorn like the waves did from Poseidon's trident.

“You there.  Where did she go?”

Turning about, she looked up at the crimson haired woman who sought answers.  In boundless glory it hung down to her waist, her attire, her jewelry signifying her as someone far, far above her station.  Caught off guard her legs instinctively moved to a curtsy; far better to be safe now than sorry later. “Where did who go?” Tentatively she asked, unsure of just who the woman was looking for.

“Don’t play coy with me.  You know exactly who I mean.”

“I … I don’t know who you mean…”  Did she mean Selene? The Priestess of Ares?  Giving the wrong answer here would not serve her at all, and all she sought was clarification to the woman’s demands.

“You’re always with her when she’s here… you must know something.”

“I … I don’t… I mean … I…” Her ability to speak was slipping from her fingers like sand did, be it from a handful collected at the serene lake or Chronos’ own hourglass.  Frantically she made a rally on it, seeing the woman before her grow further and further agitated with each passing moment. Her gaze darted from left to right, looking for assistance, looking for someone.  The Priestess of Ares, Selene, Selene’s secret rendezvous partner and lover … anyone at this point would be most welcomed.

The woman scowled, displeased at the stymie presented.  “So be it, if you must repeat words may you do so forever!”  Her hand rose, graced with wickedly long nails which looked like the points of spears.  Something sharp… a voice in a language she could not understand, mocking laughter… then it was darkness.  Darkness at long last cloaked her eyesight, and it was the last she could recall.

The time that passed from that moment onward, when she returned to coherent thoughts and this moment were agony incarnate.  Not a single sound passed from her lips, try as she might to speak, to scream. To say but anything. She did not see Selene though look for her she did.  The woman with hair of crimson flame she did not see either, though truth be told she did not look for her.

The occasional person that she came upon looked at her in near horror as she found all she could do was but repeat things they said to her in turn.   _ Touched by the Gods, _ they whispered,  _ driven to the depths of insanity _ .  She must have spoken ill of one of the Gods to be so cursed, doomed to just repeat the last fragments of what people said.

The world had gone gray about her, seemingly fading of colors as she sat by the same serene lake as before.  She found no joy in wild blooms, carefully manicured buds, much less the placid waters. About her, her hair fell from its care to listless, just as her body was becoming.  Her heart broke with each passing day, longing to die if for no other reason than to spare her further grief.

When her eyes beheld the Priestess across the lake her breath caught in her throat.  She scrambled to her feet, knowing she could not be in the presence of such perfection, certainly not like this.  Getting away was her priority, hearing behind her the sounds of pursuit, the call of a voice.

“Who goes there!”

Unbidden she answered in response, “Who goes there…”

The voice came again.  “Wait, stop! Come, over here!”

“Over here…”

The sounds of being followed grew louder once more, closing in on her.  The lake was large, she should not have been seen but she couldn’t help it.  The lake she had stayed at in memory of seeing the Priestess there. She knew better, but her heart did not.  For how long she did not know but she lingered, wanting and waiting to see her again and now… “Stop, please! Don’t go away!”  The Priestess of Ares called after her.

“...Go away.”  Her voice was soft, carrying in the air as she moved away frantically, needing to escape.  Audible, it was too easy to be heard even with the whisper it was given. 

The distance though had been closed, the Priestess stood but feet from her.  As much as she longed for the earth to swallow her whole when she had first come in such close contact with her, it was nothing in comparison to now.  Stricken she continued to back away, uncaring about where she went, just that she knew she couldn’t stand this any longer.

“Please … stop please.  Don’t leave me alone.” The raven haired woman spoke softly, pleading with her as she continued her approach.  It was how hunters approached prey, or how one would tame a wild beast… with soothing sounds and gestures until the animal trusted them.  Was that what she was, an animal? Just prey, just a beast?

“...Leave me alone.”  She found herself whispering anew, a complete contradiction to the tears that welled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

“No.  No I won’t leave you.”  There was a firmness added to her voice now, hands spread out to indicate that unlike her patron god, she bore no weapons.  Instead her hands were open, her arms were nearly the same as well, lessening the space between them now to a decent twenty paces.  “I promise, I’m not here to hurt you.”

“...Hurt you…” Gods it was unfair, another three steps taken back, ignoring how her feet slipped for a moment before her sandals found purchase on the scattered rocks.  She was nearly back to her rock she enjoyed perching on, that she could dip her toes into the lake and bask in the rays of the golden orb pulled across the sky. It was the furthest thing from her mind though, wanting to get away and yet, entrapped in the moment.

“No… no I’m not going to do that.  I’m here to help you, to make sure that you’re alright… that I don’t want anything to happen to you.  Please, please just stop.” The woman spoke calmly despite the rising hysteria that gripped her soul. Her own feet in soft leather boots navigated the rocks that littered the shoreline, seeing behind the afflicted blonde a large rock.  The ground was littered, uneven for any feet to be upon it, more so if one wasn’t paying attention. She had closed the distance to but five paces, five long agonizing paces.

“Just stop…” She whispered one last time, her foot behind her slipping.  At once her balance went out from under her as she pitched back without even a whimper, much less a scream.  The large flat rock that she enjoyed sitting upon, for it was the first place her eyes had ever beheld the raven haired woman, the Priestess of Ares, the woman that she bore such a secret, all consuming desire for… was decidedly unyielding as her head cracked upon it.  It took her life without remorse, just a soft echoing sound as she crumpled to the not fast enough arms of the other woman who caught her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Metamorphoses as told by the poet Ovid, it was Juno/Hera who was tired of Jupiter/Zeus fucking around, and it was Echo who had delayed her so Jupiter/Zeus could get it on with something. Cursed, Echo fell in love with Narcissus who was separated from his hunting party. Able only to repeat the end of end of whatever was said, Narcissus spurned her for her appearance once he finally saw her. Falling in love with his own image, he died unable to obtain that perfection, and Echo soon after, repeating his farewell.
> 
> While Makoto is awesome, it was just easier to make it into Reinako by having Beryl play the role of Juno/Hera, and Endymion playing a lot more sexually faithful fidelity following Jupiter/Zeus to meet up with Usagi, played by Selene for this fanfic. Rei might not be completely narcissistic, but suffering seems to follow on Minako’s heels… and this is angsty enough that it’s all completely heartbreaking that I need to read something really cheery now.


	3. Blasphemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it's the last person you would ever expect. Short, sweet, to the point. Limited cursing, splattering of implied things. Originally posted 4/13/18

_ "As a final act, I will tell your love fortune… Your love… will never be granted, for all eternity.  What’s wrong with you? You should be happy at that. Now you can live the rest of your life never having to worry about the tortures of deciding between them.  Your love or your duty… Your fate is to battle on." _

In one of those rare moments Minako had told me the words spoken to her by Ace, as he clung to life by the simple graces of her hand grasping his wrist over the side of some building.  In one of those rare moments, that sort of vulnerability that you would later look back upon with regret and remorse she told me quietly, out of range of anyone else. Oh sure the others were there, they were just asleep.  For whatever reason, Minako had decided she just  _ could not _ sleep and therefore,  _ did not _ sleep.

Maybe it had been brought on by yet another passing comment that someone looked  _ just like _ Makoto’s old senpai.  Or maybe it was another instance of Minako pining over some boy like a flavor of the week.  Or was it Usagi, whining about how Mamoru was going to do this or that and only to be interrupted by whatever really it was.  Regardless of how, she told me that and, like so many times before, I simply listened.

Don’t get me wrong, Minako got on my nerves, a lot.  Between her and Usagi, one of them was going to make me go prematurely gray if they kept it up.   It was rare that it was  _ just  _ Minako and myself here at the shrine or anywhere really.  It was bad enough when she had shown up at my school; fuck that was an affair that I still was coming to terms with.  Whenever we were all  _ studying  _ or whatever nonsense that was, Minako and Usagi were the first to whine their way out of it.

Sometimes I liked to have a bet with myself to see which one would cave in first.  I kept score of course, and maybe it was surprising, maybe it wasn’t, but it was very much a deadlocked tie between them.

Somehow it surprised me and it didn’t.

One of them would get into my manga, drawing the other in, and whatever Ami was droning on about would be lost under excited whispers and pointed fingers.  Or it would be a magazine, some sort of publication full of glossy pictures of the latest trend that would be forgotten in a matter of weeks.

Thankfully they didn’t get into  _ all  _ of my manga, though there was one of those rare times that it was just Minako for whatever reason that I caught her reading one of them.  She simply looked up, tilted her head in  _ that  _ way, closed it and carefully put it away, gave me  _ that  _ half sort of smile, and left, telling me that she’d see me later.

Sometimes it made me wonder just how much she remembered.

It was ironic that, the sick joke that it was, that when she first appeared to us all, that she told us she hoped we would remember.

That was just it, I did.  And I watched her flighty habits, her attempts to chase after the light so much.

I frowned many times.  I kept track of those too, just like I kept track of her and her actions.  She was flighty sure, but it was all a guise, hiding a strength that came out in those moments we needed it.  She was our leader. Hardly the strongest, hardly the wisest, but we followed what she had to say when she had to say it and thus, we survived against things we should never have live through.  She was a leader without ever telling us what to do. We just did so naturally, a familiar routine.

That’s why I just listened and frowned whenever she would lament over the boy of the day, or get all misty-eyed over romantic gestures of love.  That’s why I never said anything outside of some snarky retort and roll of my eyes. I remained aloof because she wanted to chase after the light.

After a while though, it finally got to me. It got to me enough that I finally did something about it.

On another one of those very rare occasions that it was  _ just  _ Minako, and not  _ just  _ Minako outside on the steps while everyone else was inside.  It was truly  _ just  _ Minako, on a summer night that wasn’t overly humid.  It was just Minako and it was just me.

“What are you all teary-eyed about now?  Is it what’s his face, the new actor in whatever over-done production?”

Minako sighed at me, shaking her head as she drew her legs up to her chest.  It would last for just a moment; it was rare that Minako didn’t wear a skirt and while she was flighty, she only teased unintentionally.  Sure enough, she stretched her legs out, crossing them at the ankle as she leaned back on her hands, looking up at the growing twilight sky instead of me.

I could wait.  I told myself that before, but this time it gnawed at me that she wasn’t looking at me.

Me.

“No.  It’s not that.  I told you … what he had said.  That’s my fate, but it doesn’t make it any less soothing to a heart that already aches.”

This isn’t the Minako I was used to.  This was a somehow older, mayhaps wiser one.  This was the voice that had greeted us, what felt like eons ago.  She already had my attention even when she didn’t realize it.

“It doesn’t … make it any easier.”  She trailed off, still not looking at me so maybe she didn’t realize that I was perfectly aware of the tear that trail blazed its fate down her cheek.

I truly had enough.

“Minako.”

“Yeah Rei?”

“Do you understand the power of belief?  That if you believe something to be true, it must surely be?”

“What … what do you mean?”  

She was looking at me now but it didn’t stop me.  “The things that Ace had told you, that your fate would always be to battle on.  That you wouldn’t know love.”

“It’s … it’s true though.  He said that-”

“Oh give over Minako for fuck’s sake.  You believed him and look at you. You whine and pine and act all sorts of discombobulated over something you think you can’t even have. And for what purpose, to prove a  _ man  _ right?”

I had her rapt attention.  Rarely ever did I use such unsavory language outloud, and certainly it was never around her.  Further, never did I let my scorn of men be so vehemently displayed. Oh sure, I knew that irony but it was besides the point right now.

“The more you believe in something the more it will hold true to you.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you Rei… a Shinto Priestess, telling me about belief.  Not to mention you attend a Catholic school.” She was frowning at me now, but her eyes held a glimmer that I had longed to see for just as many eons.

“I get it, it’s rather blasphemous and completely something I should never say.  It is, however, the truth Minako.” Without realizing it I was sitting all the more closer to her.  Without really planning it I was in her personal space. 

My fingertips trailed down her cheek, following the same path as that single tear had.  What a lucky tear that was; yes I was jealous but I was touching her skin far longer than that tear had.  I was proudly smug of that.

She didn’t shy away.  She just looked at me, unblinking, eyes of blue that held such clarity surely, she’d be a muse for the ages to come.

My muse.

“You believed in his words for so long, chasing after the light.  For that, I’m thankful.”

At her confusion I leaned in closer to her, my lips soft against her own.  In my dreams, in my thoughts, I did this more times that I could ever count.  I did not count them, for one should never count such perfection.

“Because you are the light.  You shine so brightly, too brightly, to let blasphemy ever shadow you.”

“Rei…”  There were tears in her eyes again, but they were the shimmering kind that spoke of hope.  “You… you… remember…?”

“I’ve remembered for a long time.  I just had to wait for you to finally have enough of believing in something that isn’t true.”

The smile I was rewarded with could out rival the brightness of the sun.  I expected it though; she is  _ my  _ light and I would do everything in my power to make sure she continued to shine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you just get a phrase stuck in your head and things happen. I could likely have expanded this out more but eh, if you want to read words that’s what Hindsight is for.


End file.
